Introduction

Uses

• Investigation of:
  • Infertility.
  • Abnormal cyclic behavior.
  • Palpable or radiographic caudal or mid-abdominal mass.

Advantages

• Low cost.
• Non-invasive.
• Straightforward.
• Short time requirement.
• Rarely requires sedation.
• No known biological risk.
• Allows ultrasound-guided fine needle aspirate or biopsy to be performed.
  Time required will reduce with operator experience.

Disadvantages

• May require patients coat to be clipped.
• Normal sonographic appearance does not exclude disease.
• Abnormal sonographic appearance does not always indicate significant disease.
• Similar sonographic appearance with different diseases.

Potential problems

• Poor transducer-skin contact:
  • Inadequate clipping.
  • Insufficient coupling medium.
• Inadequate restraint of patient.
• Operator inexperience.
• Patient has urinated prior to examination of the uterus so the bladder is empty.

Alternatives

• Plain Radiography: abdomen or contrast radiography.

Equipment

Patient Preparation

Technique

Normal Anatomy

Abnormalities

Further Reading

Publications

Refereed papers

• Recent references from PubMed and VetMedResource.
• England G C, Yeager A E (1993) Ultrasonographic appearance of the ovary and uterues of the bitch during estrus, ovulation and early pregnancy. J Reprod Fertil Suppl 47, 107-117 PubMed.
• Rivers B, Johnston G R (1991) Diagnostic imaging of the reproductive organs of the bitch. Methods and limitations. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract 21 (3), 437-466 PubMed.
• England G C, Allen W M (1989) Real-time ultrasonic imaging of the ovary and uterus of the dog. J Reprod Fertil Suppl 39, 91-100 PubMed.

Other sources of information

• England G C W (1995) Small Animal Reproductive Ultrasonography. In: Veterinary Ultrasonography. Ed: Goddard P J. CAB International, Cambridge. pp 55-85.